“Live like you want to live!” - Chuck Berry

We've got a ton of shows to announce. See below. We'll be here, there, and everywhere, while The Mission Express is at the top of their game. Or anyone's game. More dates coming in all the time. As always, up-the-minute details here: http://chuckprophet.com/gigs/

Had dinner the other night with our old co-conspirator Roly Salley. When he was 18, Roly once backed up Chuck Berry. When he asked if they were gonna rehearse, Chuck said, "You've been rehearsing your whole life for this, son."

Oh man. If Chuck Berry was in a deck of cards he'd be the Joker. The ultimate wildcard. I thought he would bury us all. When we learned that he died we were setting up our gear along with the Bottle Rockets in Milwaukee at Shank Hall. We all immediately started jamming on Chuck. Worked up a song together for the encore. As we were playing our set I kept a running tab. Every time I quoted Chuck Berry I made a mental note. Then I lost track. He's the ultimate 200 proof singer/songwriter. Chuck was always there. And now he's gone. Gone like a cool breeze.

A couple years ago I actually played with Chuck after a fashion at the American Masters tribute in Cleveland - probably wrote about it in this newsletter. I took the photo linked here. It's Chuck in the wings of very same concert. His minder (a kind of strange grey-bearded little hippy dude in a tie-dye shirt and suspenders) pulled him offstage after the allotted 3 songs as per his contract. But Chuck had a wireless rig on his guitar and plopped down into a chair and kept jamming along off stage. LOUDLY. IN ANOTHER KEY! It was awesome. I was standing there frozen, then for once had the presence of mind to snap this shot:

He was fun. He was dangerous. Was he political? We know he wasn't thrilled about paying taxes. We know is he lived a full uninhibited life. And left a mess of great songs behind. I've got him on the hi-fi now.

And while we're at it, let's hear it for PBS for playing that Hail Hail Rock and Roll film on repeat during all their Pledge Drives in the 90's.

IN OTHER NEWS: While I've got your attention, we've got a new video I want to tell you about directed by my man Nesto. It's for "Your Skin" off the new record Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins. You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWMwDE1f8Fo Billboard says its: "like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom meets Office Space meets Rosemary's Baby." And they should know. I asked Nesto the director to try to explain the video. He writes:

"What does it mean to be out of place? Or maybe better, what does it mean to be stuck in a place when time finally catches up to sweep you out? Like Bobby Fuller, a greaser lost among the hippies in San Fransisco, our protagonist is a career man in a a world of unknowns and creeping dread — on the job where only the youngest, boldest and most confident survive."

It's a long story. And just because I'm telling you this story, it doesn't mean I'm alive at the end of it. This is the internet. This could all be pre-recorded/queued up and I could be talking to you from the bottom of the ocean or from inside a dumpster in Burbank.

Okay, I've got to check out.

"Live like you want to live!" - Chuck Berry

Words to live by.

See you there,

-CP

PS: Speaking of the Bottle Rockets. We had obscene amounts of fun. It was like playing with Creedence every night. Straight up. No lacy bullshit. One killer song after another. The whole run was a joyride. Please dudes, let's do it again.

US DATES:

4/13/2017 - Los Angeles, CA - Grammy Museum LA w/The Mission Express

4/15/2017 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall w/The Mission Express